Monday, August 27, 2012

Apples in Autumn ~ A Unit Study

It's very enjoyable to start off your school year with a unit study. The Bible, science, history, language arts, geography and math are incorporated here for an autumn inspired apple study. If you have a week or two along with some of the resources listed below, you will be wondering why you haven't "picked" this topic before… After all, it's as "American as apple pie"!

Chapter Book/Read Aloud Title Suggestion: A biography chapter book about Johnny Appleseed. Johnny Appleseed, christened John Chapman was one of America’s first pioneers who had a love for God and His creation. Fall is the perfect time to share this heritage of history and sweet science to your children at the same time.

I would suggest reading together from the chapter book for 1/2 hour a day and choosing one picture book per day to read as well. (The books are just suggestions and you may use whatever you have available to you.) Then, have the children do some of the listed activities below (or any you come up with) each day according to their abilities. Include all work separately in a notebook/binder or composition book for each child. Don't forget to let them decorate their own covers with pictures of apples, stickers or clip art! Encourage them to be creative. By the end of a few weeks you will have a nice collection of "apple scrapbooks" to cherish as an educational keepsake.

Bible/Family Discussion: Read the story of Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 1-3). Many people associate the forbidden fruit with an apple. Why do you think that is? Read this article from Answers in Genesis to your family and discuss the information together (Here is another article to read for discussion if you are interested in this topic). Do you still think it is an apple? Now is also a good time to discuss obedience with the children.

Bible/Science/Research: Where did "adam's apple" get its meaning? Have older children research this and report back to the family with an oral presentation of the information found.

Bible/Penmanship/Character Building/Art: Read aloud the following Scripture and discuss the meaning. Have older children copy the verse in their best writing making sure to include all the proper punctuation. Younger children can illustrate the verse.

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."

~ Proverbs 25:11

Bible: Discuss with your children the saying below. What Bible verses reaffirm this message? This is a great time to discuss good company verses bad company.

"One Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch…"

Bible/Penmanship/Character Building/Art: Read aloud the following Scripture and discuss the meaning. Have older children copy the verse in their best writing making sure to include all the proper punctuation. Younger children can illustrate the verse.

"Keep my commandments, and live;

and my law as the apple of thine eye."

~ Proverbs 7:2

Science/Nature: Read together, How do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro and have the children draw and diagram the inside of an apple.

Science/Nature/Art: Read A True Book About Apples and have children draw a picture of an apple blossom, color it and label the parts. An older child can also do some research and write a short report about the art of grafting.

Science/Basic Skills/Math: There are many varieties of apples. Go to the grocery store and have your children write down all the different kinds that they see and what color they are. Have older children alphabetize the list when they get home. Older children can also write out the price of each apple and average out how much we pay per pound for them.

Science/Nature: Discuss with your children the various products that are made with apples (cider, vinegar, sauce, etc.). See how many they can come up with. Have the older children record them on paper in list form.

Spelling Word Suggestions for Younger Children: (Give words at beginning of unit and test at the end.)

apple

seed

tree

core

stem

fruit

branch

orchard

autumn

harvest

blossom

grafting (vocabulary word)

Copywork/Language Arts: Read the "Apple Song" to your children. Have them copy a few lines each day of the apple poem below in their best writing while paying close attention to punctuation. Older children can also make up their own poem about apples.

Apple Song

The apples are seasoned and ripe and sound,

Gently they fall on the yellow ground.

The apples are stored in the dusky bin,

Where hardly a glimmer of light creeps in.

In the firelit, winter nights, they'll be,

The clear sweet taste of a summer tree!

~ Frances Frost

Language Arts/Grammar:Print or copy off the poem above for the students to use for this exersize. Have them circle the nouns in red crayon, circle the verbs in blue crayon and circle the adjectives in green crayon. If they aren't aware of these items yet, now is a good time to start with nouns.

Language Arts/Bible: A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two different things, usually by using the words "like" or "as". Proverbs 25:11 (shown above) is a simile. This would be a good time to explain to your children what a simile is. Can they think of any other similes in Scriptures or popular sayings?

Language Arts/Word Game: See how many words your children can make in three minutes using the letters in the words, "apples in autumn".

Language Arts: See if your children can come up with quotes pertaining to apples. Discuss together what each one means. For example:

"Apple of my eye…"

"Apple doesn't fall far from the tree…"

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away…"

Language Arts/Basic Skills: Have an apple tasting party like Marjorie Priceman suggests in her book, How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World. Teach the children the meaning of adjectives (descriptive words) when tasting each variety such as "sweet", "tart" and "crunchy". An older child can record the results of each apple and the words that best describe the flavors in a chart form.

Geography: Have your children study the map above of the apple-growing states. Have them make a list showing which states grow apples by comparing this map with a physical map. Ask them if your state grows them? How about a neighboring state? Do they know what area is called the "Big Apple"?

History/Art: While reading about Johnny Appleseed, have the children draw a picture of what they think he looked like. Surround the picture with words that describe him. Older children can do more research and write a report about his life.

History/Bible Discussion: Pictured above is an actual Bible owned by John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed). Discuss the beauty of this photograph with your children. What do they think about this picture? Read the Spurgeon quote (featured above) to them and discuss the meaning together.

History/Geography: Read Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson. Print out a map of the United States and have your children draw the route that the original pioneers took traveling with the apple trees from Salem, Iowa to Portland Oregon (noted in back of book). Older children can also label some of the rivers and canyons on the map that were mentioned in the book.

History/Science: Read about Isaac Newton and what the apple had to do with the theory of gravity. You can find a short story about it here for free at The Baldwin Project. You can read a bit more about gravity here and there is also an easy apple experiment relating to gravity here.

Craft/Family History: Make an family "apple" tree craft with the children. At this time tell some special family stories about your ancestors.

Nutrition/Home Economics: Discuss the saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." Why are apples healthy snacks? Have your children create a nutritional chart about the apple.

Home Economics/Math: Make a large batch of applesauce together, making sure that the children do all the measuring.

Home Economics/Math/Service: After reading How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman, make an apple pie together. Have the children do the measuring (and weighing also if purchasing apples at the grocery store). Another idea is to have your children double the recipe to strengthen their math skills and teach them the beauty of giving. The extra pie can be taken to someone in need of some cheering up.

Math: Read Apple Fractions by Jerry Pallotta and do an informal math lesson using the examples the author presented in the book. Cut up the apples and see if your child can guess what "fraction" they are about to eat. Whoever guesses right may dip their apple in peanut butter :)

"When I judge art, I take my painting and put it next to a God-made object like a tree or flower.

If it clashes, it is not art."

~ Paul Cezanne

Art History/Picture Study: Do a picture study on the apple inspired artwork of Paul Cezanne. He created dozens of paintings featuring the apple such as Still Life with Apples, Still Life with Apples in Bowl and Still Life with Apples, Bottle, Milk Pot (children should notice this painting is with brighter colors). Explain to your children that he was a French artist (can they find France on the globe?) and known as a "post impressionistic painter" which according to Wikipedia means these painters used "vivid colours, thick application of paint, distinctive brush strokes, and real-life subject matter, but they were more inclined to emphasize geometric forms, to distort form for expressive effect, and to use unnatural or arbitrary colour." Have children study a painting a few minutes a day and point out different details to you such as what colors they notice, what objects are painted and what mood does the artwork put them in? At the end of the week, have older students record their observations on paper in the form of an art review of their favorite apple painting. Don't forget to paste a copy of the artwork on your paper for extra enhancement.

"With an apple I will astonish Paris."

~ Paul Cezanne

Art: Have your children try painting a still life of apples using whatever kind of paints you have available. Have them prepare the apple display "Cezanne" style (in a bowl with a cloth, basket, etc.). Have them draw the picture first and then fill it in with paints.

Foreign Language: Memorize how to say "apple" and "tree" in the foreign language you are studying.

Extra Activities: Enchanted Learning Website has loads of apple activity sheets for the picking! Print out the ones that are age appropriate for your children and add them into your notebooks.

Field Trip: Go apple picking (perhaps there is an orchard near by or a family who owns a tree and doesn't mind sharing). There is a wonderful area in California called Oak Glen that offers apple picking along with a lot of historical fun if you live in the area.

Field Trip: Go to an apple festival. Here is a list of dates and times of festivals spanning the entire United States. Don't forget to take pictures and scrapbook them inside your apple notebooks.

I absolutely love unit studies! We read "How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World" oh, so many years ago and that's when I made my 1st apple pie. I still remember the sweet little hands of my boys helping me mix it all together. (Those "sweet little hands" are now the big manly hands of a police officer and a college student!) I actually mentioned in a blog post recently when I shared an apple pie recipe. How thoughtful of you to put this together. :) And thanks for sharing it with us at Coffee & Conversation this week.

Featured Post

"Seen from the outside, housework can look like a Sisyphean task that gives you no sense of reward or completion. Yet hous...

100 DIY Projects to Make w/Fruit Scraps

A "Shabby Chic" Frugal Farm Lifestyle

Baking Basics Jar Set DIY

Blessings of Old Fashioned Work

Cleaning Inspiration

Depression Era Homemaking Lessons

DIY Decorative Clothespins

Frugal Yet Fanciful Life

Gentle Homemaking Inspiration

Home Organization Helps

Homemaking Lessons From Jane Austen

Ironing Inspiration Collection

Make a Book of Household Wisdom

Make Old and Ugly Potholders New Again

Make Your Own Natural Medicine Cabinet

Make Your Own Oatmeal Muffin Mixes

Make Your Own Pantry Mixes

Make Your Own Seasoning Mixes DIY Kit

On Matters of Marriage

Prepare Your Own Pantry Series

Proverbs 31 Preparedness Series

Simplest Ever Sewing Projects

Titus 2 Homemaking Inspiration by LMA

Wash Day Inspiration

10 Herbal Remedies for Cold/Flu Season

14+ Meals to Make with Pinto Beans

Autumn Gift Tags/DIY Hostess Gift Ideas

Beatrix Potter Inspired DIY Projects

DIY Citrus Cleaning Products

DIY Lavender Cleaning Products

DIY Projects Based on Books

Learn How to Can

Period Movies for the Romantic Hearted

Summer Salads and Side Dishes

What to Make and Do with Fruit Scraps

What to Make and Do with Lavender

What to Make and Do with Lemons

What to Make and Do with Oranges

What to Make and Do with Strawberries

What to Make and Do with Zucchini

Free Unit Studies for Your Homeschool

Charlotte Mason Homeschool Series

Welcome! A little introduction… I am an old-fashioned, Bible-believing, wife to my "one and only" for 20 years, homeschooling mother, who embraces her role as "keeper at home". We live on a 25-acre prairie farm.For fun… my three main earthly weaknesses (in no particular order) are coffee, dark chocolate and hardcover books. What about you? My hope is that this blog will inspire you in the arts of homemaking, homeschooling and homesteading. Visit here for 10 random facts about me... Have a beautiful day! ~ JES

"The woman who makes a sweet, beautiful home, filling it with love and prayer and purity, is doing something better than anything else her hands could find to do beneath the skies. A true mother is one of the holiest secrets of home happiness. God sends many beautiful things to this world, many noble gifts; but no blessing is richer than that which He bestows in a mother who has learned love's lessons well, and has realized something of the meaning of her sacred calling."

"She (the godly wife and mother) is a mighty warrior queen who fights righteous battles at her husband's side and reigns with him over the home and domain God has given them as they work together for Christ's eternal Kingdom and glory."

"There is nothing in the daily routine of the family life that is unimportant. Indeed, it is ofttimes the things we think of as without influence that will be found to have made the deepest impression on the tender lives of the household." ~ Excerpt from The Family

“And there are my children! My darling, precious children! For their sakes I am continually constrained to seek after an amended, a sanctified life; what I want them to become I must become myself."

ALL THE FINE PRINT… (Disclosure Policy)

All the links on this website are ONLY for the products that I feel are wholesome and helpful. I would have included the name of the product with or without the links for purposes of encouraging the written about activities. However, if you are encouraged by my information and will purchase some of my selections, then I ask that you use the links given to support my time in creating a godly family foundation.

The owner of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.

Some of the links in posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally and would naturally post about. I am disclosing this in accordance with 16 CFR, Part 255 and humbly thank you for your support.